DGA noms high-profile documentaries

Winner to be announced at Jan. 28 awards show

The Directors Guild of America has tapped the helmers of five high-profile titles for its documentary award: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky for “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” Steve James for “The Interrupters,” James Marsh for “Project Nim,” Richard Press for “Bill Cunningham New York” and Martin Scorsese for “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”

It’s Scorsese’s 10th DGA nomination and first for a documentary. He received his eighth feature bid on Monday for “Hugo”; he won DGA awards in 2006 for “The Departed” and last year in the TV drama category for the “Boardwalk Empire” pilot.

The DGA, which made the announcement Thursday, will reveal the winner at its Jan. 28 awards show at Hollywood & Highland.

“The remarkable documentaries made by this year’s nominees take audiences on a journey, whether casting light on injustice or exploring the human condition in all of its nuance, cruelty, creativity and triumph,” said DGA president Taylor Hackford. “Our nominees represent the best in documentary filmmaking, and I congratulate each of them on a job well done.”

“Paradise Lost 3,” “Project Nim” and “Bill Cunningham” are among the 15 films on the shortlist for the Oscar documentary.

Thursday’s DGA nominations include two previous winners — the team of Berlinger and Sinofsky won 20 years ago for “Brother’s Keeper,” and James won in 1994 for “Hoop Dreams.” For Marsh, it was his second DGA nomination following one for “Man on Wire” in 2008.

Charles Ferguson won both the DGA and Oscar last year for “Inside Job.”

“Bill Cunningham” is the top grosser among the DGA nominees with $1.5 million following its March release while “Project Nim” has grossed $411,000 and “The Interrupters” has taken in $274,000. “Paradise Lost 3″ and “George Harrison” appeared in limited theatrical runs before going out on cable.

Oscar noms will be announced Jan. 24. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently revised its documentary rules for next year’s race with the requirement that to be eligible a film must have been reviewed by either the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times.